Chinese Marriage Traditions: Exploring Contemporary Changes

Abstract: This thesis presents the transitions of Chinese people’s marriage concepts from before 1949 up to 1978 and explores the new marriage concepts now. The analysis part includes the high rates of divorce, left-over women and the bride price in China. I will mainly discuss why nowadays Chinese people have difficulties getting married, especially Chinese men. This analysis is based on two main theories; one is social exchange and another one is marriage squeeze. The analysis is based on the expensive bride price and how important it is for Chinese people especially for Chinese women.